Bangladesh: Five dead in fresh wave of violence

A fresh wave of violence left five people dead and several hundred injured as demonstrators battled with lawmen, attacked rivals, torched vehicles and targeted government offices and railway on Saturday, the first day of a second spell of rail-road-waterway blockade enforced by the opposition after a 24-hour interval.  

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance began enforcing the fresh 72-hour blockade from 6:00am Saturday in protest against ‘oppression’ on the opposition and announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls by the Election Commission keeping the opposition out of the process.

Dhaka remained virtually cut off from the rest of the country on the day since no buses or trucks operated on long routes and train schedule collapsed due to subversion by blockade enforcers. Flights and vessels on waterways operated as usual but with a less number of passengers.  

Blockaders also attacked an upazila nirbahi officer and commander of rapid action battalion in Jessore.

The railway authorities have instructed the train drivers to run trains at a speed of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour instead of its regular speed of 80 kilometres per hour to ensure security of trains and capture of saboteurs, said railway minister Mazibul Hoque on Thursday. 

Israfil Hossain, 25, son of Shahidul Islam of Harindia village of Manirampur died in police firing; Juba Dal activist Mahbub Hossain was ran over by a speeding truck when blockaders tried to attack the vehicle at Ishwardi, two unidentified people died in road accidents after blockaders chased vehicles in Bogra and Habubur Rahman, 52, was knocked down and killed by a bus that lost control after pickets threw petrol bombs at it at Malibagh level crossing in Dhaka around 8:45pm. 

Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Israfil Hossain was killed and five, including three law enforcers, were injured as opposition activists clashed with the police in Kotchandpur of Jhenaidah. 

The clashes broke out around 9:00am when police obstructed a BNP-Jamaat procession in the bus stand area in Kotchandpur town. The protesters vandalised vehicles and damaged at least four microbuses.

Marauding demonstrators also hurled petrol bombs and stones at the police leaving a sub-inspector injured, prompting the police to open fire on the mob that left Israfil dead. The local unit of the opposition alliance called a daylong shutdown of Manirampur for Sunday in protest against the killing of the Shibir activist.

Violence also rocked Chittgong city and its outskirts as blockaders fought pitched battles with the police for more than two hours at Colonel Hat, City Gate, AK Khan crossing and Alankar crossing. 

Protesters blocked the road at Ispahani crossing in Chittagong and put tree logs on railway halting train service for about two hours on Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet routes.  

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the pickets. 

Pickets hurled crude bombs at police at Bahaddarhat around 9.00am leaving a constable injured.

Two police constables – Anjan Chowdhury and Md Anis – sustained injuries in the clashes and 21 people were arrested on charge of violence and attack on police.

Additional deputy commissioner of Chittagong metropolitan police Tanvir Arafat said that the situation was under control and drives were on to arrest troublemakers.

In Bogra, two people died in accidents after pickets threw stones and bombs at running buses.

At Mokamtala, an unidentified passenger died after falling from the roof of a bus that was trying to escape attack by pickets. A bicyclist was run over by a bus that lost control after being chased by pickets at Chandihara on the outskirts of the town, reported the correspondent in Bogra.

Opposition activists damaged scores of vehicles stranded on Dhaka-Rangpur highway after the announcement of the fresh spell of blockade. Police and RAB struggled to clear the road in the face of stiff resistance from the bomb-throwing blockaders.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse blockaders at Sherpur and the car of RAB 12 commander came under attack at Shahjahanpur. Pickets also blasted several crude bombs in front of the district election office at Malatinagar of the town which had been shifted to the deputy commissioner’s office to avoid further acts of sabotage. 

The correspondent in Pabna said Juba Dal activist Mahbub Hossain of village Mirkamari in Ishwardi died as a speeding truck knocked him down when he along with other blockaders tried to attack the vehicle around 6:15pm. He died on the spot.   

Pedestrian Habibur Rahman, 52, was ran over by a bus of Suprabhat Paribahan when it lost control while trying to escape arson attack at Malibagh level crossing in Dhaka around 8:00pm. Habibur, a resident of Madartek, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Five passengers of the bus were also admitted to the hospital with burn injuries along with two more pedestrians with critical injuries. 

At least 10 people, including a policeman, were injured in clashes between Shibir activists and police at Baralekha in Moulvibazar. Police fired 15 shots to disperse the blockaders and arrested nine people on the spot, reported the correspondent in Moulvibazar.

Hundreds of passengers in Barisal got stranded Friday night after the late announcement of the blockade.

The blockaders also ransacked four battery-run three-wheelers and blasted crude bombs in different areas of the city on Saturday morning. Police foiled an attempt to block Barisal-Dhaka highway at Kashipur. 

The correspondent in Jessore said at least 20 people, including the upazila nirbahi officer of Manirampur and three policemen, were injured in clashes when police tried to remove the blockade on Jessore-Keshabpur Road at Begaritala. 

Reshma Sharmin, assistant superintendent of police, said that the UNO of Manirampur, Sharif Nazrul Islam and at least three policemen were wounded in clashes between BNP- Jamaat men and police around 3:30pm. 

The blockaders damaged the car of the UNO, a police vehicle and set a truck on fire during the clashes. 

A vehicle of Border Guard Bangladesh also came under attack at Natunhat in the district headquarters. Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman, commanding officer of 26 Border Guard Battalion, told New Age that blockades had attacked his vehicle on his way to Benapole. ‘They fled the scene after I fired four blank shots’, he added. 

Around 100 passengers who entered Bangladesh through Benapole border were stranded at the land port due to the fresh spell of blockade. 

Shahidul Islam, manager, Shohag Paribahan at Benapole, told New Age that the stranded passengers took shelters at different bus counters and residential hotels. 

Mosharraf Hossain, officer-in-charge of Benapole immigration police, said that about 100 passengers, including 20 children, had entered the country through Benapole after the blockade was enforced. 

Mohsin Milon, a C&F agent at Benapole land port, told New Age that about 1,000 trucks carrying goods remained stranded at Benapole due to the blockade. 

In the capital, in a predawn swoop on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, police in plain clothes picked up its joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rzvi and executive committee member Belal Ahmed.   Several crude bombs were exploded by blockaders in different parts of the capital, including Gabtali and Green Road, in the morning.   

Police arrested two people at Green Road after chase and counter-chase with Shibir activists.   Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets in the morning as the number of motorised vehicles was visibly low.   

No long-route bus left Mohakhali, Saydabad and Gabtali terminals since morning. Law enforcers guarded the city streets.   

Train services on Chandpur-Laksham-Sylhet route remained suspended as the opposition activists blocked rail tracks near Chhayabani cinema in Chandpur town.   

The Lalmonirhat correspondent said opposition activists had put blockade on four railway routes, including Lalmonirhat-Dhaka route near Mahendranagar station. A Rangpur-bound train also got stranded there. 

At least eight vehicles were vandalised at Shimultala point of Lalmonirhat and Saptibari in Aditmari upazila.

In Rajshahi, blockaders torched five trucks and two microbuses in the city’s Dewanpara area. 

At least 15 crude bombs were exploded in Laxmipur town. Blockaders started fires on roads at Ramganj, Bhabaniganj, Raipur, Rakhalia and Dalal Bazar of the town. They also brought out processions in the morning.   

The previous spell of 71-hours blockade left at least 19 people killed in violence. (source)

Bangladesh police barge into BNP headquarters, detain Rizvi

Bangladesh Nationalist Party joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi landed in jail after the police had arrested him storming into the BNP headquarters breaking open a door on early Saturday.

Metropolitan magistrate Ashikur Rahman ordered Rizvi to jail after the police produced him before the court in a case field with the Shahbagh police on Friday for arson attack on a moving bus near Shishu Park on November 28 that killed at least two persons and injured 17 others.

The court also posted for December 4 the remand and bail hearing.

Witnesses said that plainclothes police stormed into the BNP central office at Nayapaltan in the city breaking open a door on the first floor at about 3:45am and arrested Rizvi and BNP executive committee member Belal Ahmed.

The police ransacked documents, computers and furniture at the office including the rooms of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the witnesses said.

They said that the police later came out of the building breaking the locks of the main gate with hacksaw blades.

BNP office staffs alleged that the police climbed up with a ladder on the first floor’s balcony of the building as the main gate was locked. They entered the first floor breaking open the door.

The police entered the room where Rizvi was sleeping, an office staff said, adding, ‘Rizvi was thrown on the floor from the bed…we got afraid and took corners to save us from the furious police personnel.’

The police also assaulted reporters of private television channels and damaged equipments of two channels, the witnesses said.

Ekattor TV senior correspondent Shafique Ahmed said that he and ‘Gtv’ senior correspondent Gausil Ajam Dipu were locked in a room by the police. Cameras of Somoy TV and Ekattor TV were broken by the police as they were taken footage of the police raid.

The police later produced Rizvi and Belal before the court that sent them to jail.

The police filed a petition seeking Rizvi to be remanded in police custody for interrogation in the arson attack case.

The police also implicated Rizvi and Belal in two more cases related to violence in September and November and sought them to be remanded in custody for interrogation in those cases.

In the past one month, several other top BNP leaders have been arrested on charges of strike and blockade related violence and are now in jail.

Earlier, the police had raided the BNP headquarters seven months ago and arrested some top leaders including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Rizvi was also arrested then and had to spend time in jail before securing bail.

No BNP leader was seen at the party office on Saturday while the office remained confined by the police.

BNP joint secretary general Salahdddin Ahmed was appointed to act as the party spokesperson in absence of Rizvi, but he was not seen at the party office.

District unit BNP on Saturday called day-long general strike in Kurigram for today demanding immediate release of Rizvi and others leaders and activists.

A 20-member delegation of professionals led by Bangladesh Bar Council vice-chairman Khandaker Mahbub Hossain visited the BNP office at noon.

After visiting the office, Mahbub told reporters that the act of vandalism at a party office in such way was ‘only possible in an uncivilised society’.

Mahbub condemned the arrest of Rizvi and the assault on journalists. (source)

Bangladesh apperel owners demand exemplary punishment for Standard Group factory blaze culprits

The apparel factory owners’ association on Saturday demanded an exemplary punishment of the people responsible for the fire that took place in the multi-storey industrial unit of the Standard Group at Konabari in Gazipur on Thursday night.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association president, Atiqul Islam, at a news briefing at the BGMEA office, said that a vested interest group was working to destroy the apparel sector with the use of rumours.

He also demanded a separate law for the apparel sector. ‘Such incidents are committed one after another as the government is not sincere about punishing the people responsible.’

He said that the conspirators were busy thwarting the economic growth of the country.

The BGMEA several times earlier urged the government to ensure security for the apparel factories but the government was yet to take any initiative, he said.

The Standard Group managing director, Mosharraf Hossain, broke into tears at the news briefing saying that he had lost everything to the fire.

He said that miscreants had burnt fabrics and machines, furniture and 22 covered vans laden with finished products.

He asked the government to find out who attacked the main factory gate about 10:30pm on Thursday. He wanted to know who had made the announcement on the PA system of a mosque asking people to attack the factory and who had obstructed fire fighters and the police from reaching the spot in time.

He also asked who would get the bank liability of letters of credit worth about Tk 400 crore.

He said that he had lost about Tk 1,200 crore to the fire incident and he had fallen sick after the fire in the factory.

They urged the government to ban all meetings Balur Math, beside the factory, where some people were regularly holding meetings.

When the factory owner was addressing reporters at the BGMEA office about 2:30pm, fire was still burning in the Standard Group factory in Gazipur, the New Age correspondent in the district said. The fire could  contained about 4:00pm.

Workers were crying in the front of the factory as they lost their job. They also demanded punishment of the people responsible for the incident.

They said that they had no complaints regarding wage payment against the factory management. They said that they were frustrated and worried about their future if the factory could not be reopened.

M Aktharuzzaman, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in Gazipur, said that they had fully contained the fire about 4.00pm on Saturday. 

He said that a three-member committee was investigating the fire and trying to establish what caused it. The committee will submit its report within 15 working days.

A group of miscreants on Thursday set fire to the Standard Group industrial unit, damaging the property that suspended the factory operation.

No casualties, however, were reported as 25,000 people working there had left eight-storey building before it had been set on fire.

Fire fighters took more than 15 hours to contain the flames.

The Standard Group, the second largest company in the country’s apparel sector, supplied products to GAP, ZARA, KOHL’s, American Eagle outfitters, Tommy Hilfiger, Sears and Gymboree, among others, international clients. (source)

Bangladesh government spends contingency fund allocation in 5 months

Around Tk 2,500 crore set aside in the current fiscal’s budget as contingency fund and block allocation has been exhausted in less than five months to meet the demands for additional funds from ministries and divisions ahead of the election.

Officials in the budget wing of the finance ministry told New Age that Tk 1,200 crore was spent by October to fund projects taken mostly on political considerations and to meet additional expenses on account of payment of  dearness allowance, risk allowance for the law enforcement personnel and the utility bills of the armed forces. 

They said Tk 1,300 crore has been spent from block allocation funds and other pockets to meet additional demands from ministries and divisions ahead of the general election set for January 5. 

The demands for additional funds are still pouring though the budget wing exhausted the funds in the last month.

Last week, LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam placed the demand for Tk 200 crore to pay compensations for the acquisition of land for the proposed water treatment plant at Mawa.

Officials said that the next elected government might face problems in meeting the additional and unseen expenditures.

They expressed the apprehension that budget discipline could be further compromised in coming months.    

Such indiscipline in financial management is not a new thing for the present government, said former caretaker government adviser Mirza Azizul Islam. 

In 2011-12, the national budget came under severe pressure due to excessive borrowings from banks to pay subsidies on fuel oil, fertilizers, food.

In the same year, the government borrowed in less than eight months Tk 18,957 crore, the target set for the fiscal, to meet deficits, pushing the first quarter’s inflation to 11.41 per cent. 

The government’s budget management is headed for the same direction after it borrowed Tk 9,634.11 crore from the commercial banks in first three months of the fiscal, officials fear.

They anticipate the borrowings would increase to meet the revenue collection shortfall worth between Tk 10,000 crore and Tk 13,000 crore.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Salehuddin Ahmed attributed the deepening financial indiscipline to government excessive expenditures on politically motivated expenditures at the end of its tenure. 

DA for the public servants announced ahead of the election also forced the government to borrow, he said.

He said that such huge borrowings from the banks would push up inflation. 

The upshot is: not so favourable business environment with excessive government crowding out private investment, he added. (source)

Khaleda Zia instructing arson, killings, says Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Saturday renewed her call to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party to join the all-party election-time government and contest the general elections. 

‘The elections will be free and fair.  How many ministries do you [BNP] want? If you want the home ministry, we are even ready to give it to you. Come and join the polls,’ she said while addressing the 41st founding anniversary of Awami Juba League in the city’s Suhrawardy Udyan.

Hasina said that she would not allow any extra-constitutional forces to usurp power or any unconstitutional process. 

‘The next election must be held in accordance with the constitution and the BNP would not be able to resist the polls whatever attempts it makes,’ she added. 

The prime minister said that she had compromised a lot for the sake of a free, fair and participatory election but it was opposition leader Khaleda Zia who did not want the election to take place. 

Accusing the BNP chief of unleashing terror and ordering killings in the name of hartal and blockade, Hasina wanted know what the opposition leader wanted to achieve by killing people. 

‘If you [Khaleda] want to wage movement, please come out in the street …We will face each other in the street and test each other’s power,’ she said.

The prime minister strongly condemned the arson attacks on buses and burning of people and said that the opposition leader had lost her humanity in her lust for power. ‘Please stop burning people. You [Khaleda] would not be able to stand the sight when people would start retaliating and burning the persons involved in instructing arson attacks and killing of people,’ she warned. 

Sheikh Hasina, also the AL president, blasted the civil society members who had met with the president, saying that some of them were advisers to the last caretaker government and it was their failure that had led to the events of 1/11. 

She alerted Juba League leaders and activists to the subversive activities of BNP-Jamaat and asked them to build up resistance against ‘the BNP-led anti-liberation forces’ across the country to protect the lives and property of the people.  

Juba League chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury presided over the discussion addressed by land minister Amir Hossain Amu, AL presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, joint general secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Juba League general secretary M Harunur Rashid.

Earlier, the prime minister unveiled the cover of a book titled ‘Struggle for Democracy’.  Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique took part the discussion on the book which features the life and struggle of Sheikh Hasina. (source)

Bangladesh: University admission seekers worried for frequent test deferrals

University admission seekers and their guardians are worried because of the deferral of admission tests in public universities for general strikes and blockade enforced by opposition political parties.

Political programmes have also caused inconvenience to the admission who cannot move about freely to take the tests.

As there is shortage of seats in public universities, aspirants usually apply for admission in several universities and need to travel from one city to another.

Admission tests usually take place on Friday but general strikes and blockades enforced before and after the tests causes suffering to admission seekers from far-off places.

Admission tests for first-year bachelor’s courses in seven public universities were deferred because of general strikes and blockades enforced by the opposition alliance.

Admission test in two other universities were deferred because of movements by local people. Students seeking admission to at least three universities suffered as the opposition alliance enforced a general strike on the day before the admission tests.

Admission tests in the Islamic University was differed three times and admission tests for two units in the University of Chittagong were deferred twice.

The University of Dhaka postponed interviews for subject selection scheduled for November 29. 

On Wednesday, the Islamic University deferred the admission tests for the third time. The next date of the tests will be announced later, the authorities said.

Convener of the university admission test committee Abdul Hakim Sarkar said, ‘We are trying hard to set a date  but failed every time for some reasons.’

Barisal University differed tests for unit A, B, C and D to December 7 from November 28, a release issued by the university said.

Admission tests in Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University scheduled for November 29 was postponed for an indefinite period. Admission test in Sylhet Agricultural University scheduled for December 1 has also been postponed.

The Chittagong University registrar, Safiul Alam, said that tests of unit H and G had been deferred to December 7 from the scheduled November 29. With this, the date has been changed twice.

The universities said that the tests had been deferred for ‘unavoidable reasons’ but officials said that the tests had been deferred because of general strikes and blockades.

Rajshahi University admission test had been rescheduled to December 5–9 form the original scheduled of November 10–14 because of the 84-hour general strike the BNP-led alliance started enforcing on November 10.

Comilla University postponed its admission test scheduled for November 6-8 and the new date was yet to be published.

Admission seekers of unit B and C in Dhaka University, Jagannath University, and Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh also suffered because of either the general strike or the blockade day before of the tests.

The combined tests for admission to Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Jessore Science and Technology University scheduled for November 30 have been postponed amid protests in Sylhet.

Faisal Amin, a guardian of an admission seeker, said that he was passing sleepless night worrying about the future of his son as he was yet to qualify for admission to Dhaka University. ‘I do not know whether my child will be able to take any further admission test as strikes and blockades are taking place.’

A total of 7.45 lakh students passed the HSC and equivalent examinations and were making preparations for admission tests.

The University Grants Commission chairman, AK Azad Chowdhury, said that admission tests for universities were in jeopardy. He also feared that a delay in admission tests could have a long-term adverse impact on the academic calendar of the institutions as academic life could be prolonged in several universities.

Because of the ongoing political turmoil, students are also facing difficulty in taking the primary completion exams. Examinations for 3 days out of the 6  have so far been deferred.

This year, Junior School Certificate examinations of four days were deferred. Several examinations of the SSC and the HSC were also deferred because of political programmes.

Annual examinations of class I-IV and VI–IX are also being hampered because of the same reasons.

The opposition alliance threatened tougher programmes if its demand for a non-party, election-time government was not met.

The education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, urged all political parties not to plan any political programmes that could harm the academic life of children, ‘Such political activities are delaying examinations and putting pressure on examinees. Many of them may fail to achieve desired results,’ he added. (source)

Bangladesh: Full-fledged power import from India begins Tuesday

The state-run Power Development Board is likely to start importing 500MW of electricity from India on Tuesday, two days after the contracts come into effect today, officials said.

Power Grid Company of Bangladesh managing director Chowdhury Alamgir Hossain said, ‘Now the transmission is suspended to increase the transmission capacity. We are expecting to start drawing 500MW of electricity from Tuesday on trial.’

Full-fledged power transmission from India would begin following a successful test transmission of 500MW, he said.

From today, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam was supposed to supply 250MW from the Indian central government’s unallocated quota, which is usually supplied to different Indian states, and PTC India Limited would supply another 250MW of electricity from Indian private sector, according to the contracts, officials said.

But the full-fledged transmission would be delayed due to incapability of the transmission system, they said.

Bangladesh started importing 175MW of electricity from the Indian public sector on October 1. 

The PGCB deals with the power import from India through a high voltage direct current substation set up at Bheramara in Kushtia.

The power board signed contracts with two Indian power authorities, NTPC and PTC India Limited, to import 250MW of electricity each from public and private sector respectively. (source) 

British prime minister hopeful of proper, fair elections in Bangladesh

British prime minister David Cameron has expressed his hope that the forthcoming election in Bangladesh will pass off ‘properly and fairly’.

He made the remark while addressing a function on the 9th British Curry Awards 2013 at Battersea Evolution in London on November 25, according to a media release and Channel S report.

David Cameron highly appreciated the contribution of British curry industry, mostly owned by British Bangladeshis, to the British society and economy.

‘The British curry industry is one of the biggest success stories in any country ever,’ he said assuring of resolving the problems of the industry.

He promised to work together to help flourish the industry further saying, ‘Let me promise you this. We will work together…we will continue to help you to get the skills essentials for you. We will also work with you to train up the next generation of home-growing chefs.’

The British premier expressed his heartfelt gratitude and acknowledged UK curry industry as a shining example.

Among others, Rushanara Ali MP was present.

The British Curry Awards has been lauded as a national institution in its own right, with the prime minster fondly coining them the ‘Curry Oscars’.

The British Curry Awards was established by British entrepreneur and restaurateur, Enam Ali MBE, who founded the event in 2005.

Speaking at the event, Enam Ali said, ‘The British prime minister has a soft corner for the Curry industry. I briefed him about the problems the industry faces now. He assured us of finding solution.’

He further said, ‘This is the ninth year of the British Curry Awards and I am incredibly proud of just how far we have come in that time.’

Enam Ali said the British Curry Awards have become an institution. ‘I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the part you have played in helping to make the British Curry Awards the biggest and most spectacular event in the hospitality industry calendar.’ (source)

Bangladesh: Juba League activist killed in Comilla

Police recovered the body of a Juba League activist from Raipur Dighirpar area in Daudkandi upazila Saturday morning. 

They also arrested a man for his suspected involvement in the killing of Miraz Khandaker, 32, son of Ramizuddin Khandaker, of Donercher village in the upazila.

Daudkandi police officer-in-charge Abul Faysal said that Miraz along with his family was living at Donercher village in the upazila. Some people had called him out of his house Friday night, but he didn’t return home. 

Local people found the body on a field Saturday morning and informed the police of the incident. Later, police recovered the body at around 10:30am and sent it to Comilla Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. (source)

Bangladesh: Felani killing case to be reviewed soon: BSF

The Indian Border Security Force will start the process of reviewing the Bangladeshi girl Felani Khatun murder case soon.

‘We would start to review the Felani Khatun Murder Case soon, although we could not begin the process so far,’ said BD Sharma, additional director general of BSF at a media interaction in New Delhi on Friday.

When asked, Sharma could not give any specific time as to when the process would start.

Felani, 15, was shot dead by BSF man Amiya Ghosh while she was entering Bangladesh over the barbed-wire fence along Anantapur border point in Kurigram on January 7, 2011.

On September 6, the special court, constituted by the BSF, in its verdict acquitted the lone accused, BSF constable Amiya Ghosh, of the charge of killing Felani. (source)